Two Halves of a Whole
by MidnightEden234
Summary: Ichigo was taken to the Soul Society as a baby. He was raised to fight and destroy Hollows, but he feels like he's always been underestimated. Constantly being babysat for a whole fifteen years, he finds out that it's because the Soul Society never wanted him to find out their darkest secret. Ichigo is only one half of a whole soul, and his other half is locked up. HichiIchi! yaoi
1. A Society's Secrets

Exactly fifteen years ago…

_Everywhere you looked there were people dressed in black kimono's running in different directions. It was as though they were performing a well-rehearsed dance. No one was running into each other nor were they stopping to move around another. Every so often one person would flash by wearing a white cloak over top of their black kimono; there were only about twelve different people who did this._

_Yamamoto was the thirteenth who wore a white robe, but he was sitting in a chair in the back of a nearby building. He was writing on scrolls and papers, which was odd because he normally had his lieutenant doing to paper work. He paused every so often to shove his long beard out of the way and to wipe the sweat pouring down his bald head._

_A man with lightly tanned skin, pupil-less eyes, short silver-gray hair and a small black handlebar mustache suddenly appeared beside Yamamoto._

"_Well," Yamamoto asked without taking his eyes off of the papers._

"_I did what you asked-"_

"_And?"_

_Then man cleared his throat nervously. "And," he continued, "I've found out that the rumors are true."_

_Yamamoto finally looked up, a looked of stress on his face._

"_What do you want to do?"_

"_Gather all the captains and inform them as to what's going on. State that their top priority is to bring the illegal half breed child here and eliminate his parents! Tell Captain Kurotsuchi that I want to see him and that he is not to go with the other captains," Yamamoto ordered._

"_Yes Head Captain," the man shouted, "and what about the other lieutenants?"_

"_Lieutenant Chojiro, as eager as you may be to help; you and the other lieutenants already have your orders and must remain in the Seireitei!"_

_The man, Chojiro nodded and flashed away. He stopped on a roof top where all things seemed calm and peaceful; it was hard to believe anything bad was happening. As Chojiro put his hand into the air, a black butterfly appeared from a tiny blue orb and landed on the lieutenant's palm._

* * *

Present…

Yamamoto continued to sit in his desk. The parchment he was writing on was beginning to be filled up, so he went to reach for another piece just before something caught his senses. "Reveal yourself," he called out into the endless night.

A man swung into Yamamoto's building from the roof top above the door. He landed with ease and with a smile on his perfectly shaped lips. His skin was slightly tanned, his eyes were brown and his hair was an unusual orange.

"What are you doing here, Kurosaki?" Yamamoto asked.

"I heard that you weren't busy, so I wanted to drop by and ask you something," the man, Ichigo replied.

"Make it quick, I've got work to do."

"Well," he began, searching for a way to word his question. "Well you see, I was looking for Rukia when I accidentally fell into the sewers. There was no ladder where I fell in, so I thought that I would have to walk around a bit further until I found a way out. While I was in the sewers, I overhead Captain Kurotsuchi and his lieutenant talking about… umm…" Ichigo laughed. "Well it sounded like they were talking about me, but I guess that would be odd, right?"

"Indeed," Yamamoto was quick to respond. "Tell me, what did he say?"

"I don't know. I just heard him say my name."

Yamamoto nodded before returning his eyes down to his papers.

"Well… I… Uhh… Anyways, I have to go to my studies," Ichigo stammered. He flashed away faster than Yamamoto could blink, leaving him in his new thoughts.

'I can't believe that I did that,' Ichigo mentally scolded himself. 'I mean, I heard almost nothing, it could have been nothing! Why did I even bother to tell the old man about this if it wasn't even a real problem?'

Ichigo flashed from roof top to roof top, it was his preferred way of travelling. Once he got inside of his room, in the tenth division's barracks, he took in a deep breath then collapsed onto the couch. "Oh man," Ichigo gasped, "trying to hold in my Spiritual Pressure is like hell! At least I got back here in time, and no one's gonna ever find out that I left."

"Ichigo," Rukia called. A few moments later Ichigo heard knocking on his door. "Your spiritual pressure disappeared Ichigo, what were you doing?"

"I was practicing," Ichigo simply replied.

"You know that's not good for you," Rukia scolded as she entered. She was a petit girl with skinny limbs, but no one should underestimate her. Behind Rukia's pale grey eyes was a kick ass girl who could take on any challenge she was given. She also held the most beautiful Zanpakuto in existence, Sode no Shirayuki. "What if it slipped on you or if you lost control?"

"I won't lose control Rukia."

"But you could," she returned.

Ichigo sighed. Why did everyone here always treat him like he was a child? Ichigo was fifteen now so why did everyone keep lecturing him? Well, at least Rukia made some sense. She was right about Ichigo hiding his Spiritual Pressure though. In order for Ichigo's Spiritual Pressure to be hidden, he has to keep it from 'leaking' into the air. However, his Spiritual Pressure is so great that if he hid it for too long, all of Ichigo's power would eventually tear his own soul apart.

"Well," Rukia giggled, "I guess you're wondering why I'm here."

'Not really,' Ichigo thought knowingly.

"Sheesh Rukia, you can't say it like that," Rangiku scolded from the window. She jumped inside and marched over to Ichigo and Rukia holding a bottle of Sake.

"Hello Rangiku," Ichigo greeted with a smile. "What's the occasion?"

"Don't act so naïve," Renji ordered, slipping in through the second window. "You know what the occasion is."

Ichigo raised his eye brow which seemed to frustrate Renji.

"Now come on Ichigo," Rangiku said, still laughing. "What kind of a man forgets his own birthday?"

"That kind of a man," Ichigo replied, pointing at Renji. Everyone but the red head laughed.

"I was tired! And Byakuya had me working all week!"

Soon many other lieutenants and captains showed up and sat laughing or talking with everybody else. Rangiku sat with Toshiro, Gin and Momo each laughing so hard at Toshiro's seriousness that they couldn't see through the tears in their eyes. Every few minutes Momo would secretly move closer to Toshiro or she would offer him a drink, hoping that she'd get to kiss him tonight. Over at Ichigo's desk was Rukia, showing off some of her recent drawings to Renji, Kira, Isane, Byakuya and Ichigo. Her drawings were getting better, but they still sucked in Ichigo's opinion. Then at the far back of the room, Nanao stood with Shunsui, Aizen and Jushiro bickering that the three of them were brilliant captains and therefor shouldn't be drinking.

All was going well in Ichigo's room, but that was about the only thing going right inside of the Seireitei.

In a part of the sewers, Mayuri was running his nightly routine with little knowledge that something was about to go terribly wrong. He rounded the final corner into a secret laboratory. Glass jars and the likes were stacked up on shelves, beakers filled with different colored liquids sat on hot plates attended to by men in white coats and there was a strange purple mist in the air that came from a failed experiment.

Mayuri passed through the lab and towards a small, calculator-like device hanging on the wall. He typed in numbers, seemingly random to the untrained eye, and the wall split. Behind the wall was a dark staircase that led down towards a softly glowing room.

Mayuri traversed down the stairs and into the blue light. Within the small room there were no chairs, no tables and nothing resembling a laboratory at all. There were only the stairs, Mayuri himself, a guard and a bolted metal door.

Behind the metal door was a cell, holding the most important prisoner of all time. He lay across a metal board that was slung up and chained to the wall like a hammock. Every so often there was a loud bang as the board crashed against the wall. The occupant was bored.

"Knock it off!" The guard roared.

"Come inside and make me!" the prisoner hissed, his voice empty and hollow as if he were talking into a large pipe. He giggled mercilessly, "Or are you just afraid to face me?"

The guard fumbled with the keys and threatened to enter the cell. "Why you little-"

"Don't let him rouse you." Mayuri ordered. The guard backed off from the door and stood to the side.

"Oh, Mayuri, is that you?" the prisoner questioned with mock interest. "Back from your stroll already? Or did you just miss me?"

"Of course I missed you. A little lab-rat that can't die, what a perfect test subject!"

The prisoner rolled over onto his side and glared at the wall. "So, tell me, how's my Shinigami doing up there?"

"Ichigo? Well, he's doing-"

"Just fine," the prisoner finished. "Just like you always say, but that's not true. He feels empty, alone, incomplete... and so on. He feels like something's missing, like he's swimming in a pool of despair and depression. I hate it, watching him suffer because you refuse to allow me to be with him."

"I know well what you're trying to pull and it isn't going to work."

The prisoner punched the wall. "I'm not trying to pull anything!" His hand slid down from the wall, a grin appeared on his white lips, his gold on black eyes shot up to stare insanely at Mayuri and he started laughing. He laughed so hard Mayuri was worried that he'd pass out. Then the laughter died down and the prisoner sung, "Ichigo's gonna find me~! And when he does, you'll be sorry~!"


	2. You Are My King

The prisoner lay on his metal-hammock-bed with his legs straight and his arms crossed behind his head. He cursed his tiny limbs for not being able to supply a good pillow.

The ground above rumbled and the lights flickered.

The prisoner glanced to the door where the guard now stood. He took his Zanpakuto from his back and turned to the prisoner. "Stay right here will ya? I'll be back soon."

"Take your time!"

The guard glared and the prisoner smirked. He watched the guard run off and heard him run up the stairs. There was another rumble and another flicker of the lights. And the giant door that held the prisoner slowly creaked open.

"Hello?" the prisoner called, getting up from his bed. He pushed open the door and glanced around. "Well then..." he smiled and cracked his neck, "looks like I'm free."

The prisoner disappeared from his spot and reappeared in front of the stairs. He continued to do this from the bottom of the stairs to the middle, from the middle to the top and from the top to the lab. Each time looking like a series of flashes.

He shuffled along the wall, everyone within the small lab was running around and panicking too much to even notice. When the lights flickered again, the prisoner took this time to flash away down the hall and he successfully escaped into the sewers.

o/o/o

A cold sweat covered his body.

_Ichigo, please, help me!_

"Who's there," he mumbled.

_Ichigo!_

"Where are you...?"

_I'm coming for you Ichigo. I'll be there soon... I want to help you._

Ichigo rolled over onto his back, his breath fast and heavy. He was still asleep, though just barely. The escaped prisoner appeared at his window and gazed down on the teen with a sick grin. He climbed in through the window, extending his hand towards Ichigo, and walked over to gently touch Ichigo's cheek.

He could feel Ichigo's massive power flow through his body, and at the same time his power ran through Ichigo. They were connecting again, he just knew it!

Ichigo's eyes shot open through the power surge. His hands took hold of the escaped prisoner's arm and his wide eyes locked with the other's eyes.

"Who are you," Ichigo gasped out.

The prisoner grinned. "Who do I look like?"

Ichigo swallowed nervously. "M-Me?"

The prisoner nodded.

"Why do you look like me?"

"Because I am you," he answered. The prisoner slowly lowered himself onto Ichigo, pinning the teenager onto the bed. "I am your other half, your loyal horse, my King."

"K-King?"

"You lead, I follow. That's how it works, Ichigo."

Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed together, but before he could ask anything more, three men kicked down his door and rushed into his room.

"Stop right there!" the taller of the three, Shuhei shouted. With a sturdy hand he pointed his Zanpakuto forward.

The prisoner grinned down at Ichigo then slowly turned to face the three Shinigami standing in the doorway. He ran his fingers through Ichigo's hair and cackled, "You're too late!"

Ichigo struggled to escape his lookalike's grasp, but in the end he couldn't escape. The prisoner frowned as he watched fear spread across the orangette's face. He ran his white finger across Ichigo's forehead then dissolved into Ichigo's body.

Ichigo fainted.

"Get him to Division Twelve's barracks," Shuhei ordered. The two Shinigami he had with him took hold of Ichigo's body and lifted him from the bed. "I'll inform the Head Captain of what happened..."

o/o/o

Ichigo forced his eyes open then rolled over to shield them from the light. His eyes stung but the tears that formed washed away the pain.

"Stand, Ichigo."

Ichigo froze at that all too familiar voice. He got up onto his knees, then onto his feet. Turning, he saw his Zanpakuto spirit, Zangetsu, standing tall in his usual spot. _(A/N: Yes, I am familiar with the Bleach manga. ;) )_ Ichigo no longer gave any thought as to how it was possible for Zangetsu to stand _sideways_ on something as skinny as that pole; he'd seen it too many times.

"The sun is shining," Zangetsu commented, looking at the sky.

_Great, here comes a long metaphorical speech._ Ichigo thought dully.

"It looks nearly perfect," Zangetsu continued. "But something is wrong. The sun is creating too much heat."

"And what does that mean?"

"As you know, this world reflects your mind. As it stands, the sun looks perfect but is in fact not. Like you look to be at ease, but on the inside you are unsettled."

Ichigo sighed and nodded. "I look around and everything seems just like it's supposed to be. But I feel like something's missing…"

"The grass is green and healthy, just as you are healthy. These skyscrapers still stand tall and bold, just as you are proud. You also feel no sorrow for there are no clouds in the sky." Zangetsu spoke with a slightly happier tone than usual. Oddly, Ichigo found it creepy.

"I still feel trapped, bound by the ones around me."

Zangetsu nodded. "You feel caged by your friends who think you must be kept under surveillance at all times. Just like the proud buildings that are trapped by the sidewalk, never to touch the roads that can free them. But the sidewalk underestimates the buildings, and there are places where the sidewalk cannot reach where destiny's road meets the skyscraper."

Ichigo's eyebrow furrowed in confusion. "And what does that mean?"

"Did you not notice that your world is sideways?"

Ichigo's eyes widened. He looked around, and truth was that he was standing on the side of the building this time, rather than the top. "I didn't even realize it…"

"That's because it felt natural, correct?"

Ichigo nodded. "But what does it mean?"

Zangetsu turned away from Ichigo. His black robe slowly dissolved into the air. "I wish I could have spent more time with you, Ichigo. You are a brilliant warrior, and I'm proud to call you my Shinigami. But now it's time for someone else to watch over you."

"Z-Zangetsu!" Ichigo called. "Wait! Don't leave!"

Zangetsu smiled. "Train well, Ichigo. And maybe one day our paths will cross again."

Ichigo was about to run for Zangetsu's fading spirit, when ice chilled hands took hold of his shoulders and held him place. Brown eyes widened in fear before quickly being covered by pale white fingers. "Guess who~!" A playfully twisted voice cackled.

Ichigo froze. "You're… that man from before? This is supposed to be my inner world. How are you here?"

"When you and I made eye contact our souls connected. I am free to entire this world anytime I like, just as you are." The prisoner split his fingers allowing Ichigo sight of his world again, his world lacking Zangetsu.

"The old man told me you could explain why my world was sideways. He was talking about you, right?"

"Yes."

"Who are you?"

"One thing at a time, King." The prisoner stepped away from Ichigo, and then circled his body until they were face to face. It was shocking for Ichigo to see such a perfect replica of himself, it was like looking into some twisted mirror, but what shocked Ichigo the most were the prisoner's eyes. For the prisoner it brought him joy to see Ichigo. He hadn't seen those brown orbs in more than a decade.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked again.

"I'm you." The prisoner replied.

"No," Ichigo added quickly. "I want a _real_ answer."

The prisoner made a small huffing noise. He crossed his arms and gently tapped his foot. "How should I put this…? Well, every soul has the potential of going one of two ways. A soul can become a Hollow or a soul can become a Shinigami. You and I are of one soul. You are the potential Shinigami, and I am the-"

"Hollow," Ichigo finished instead. "But that's… impossible!"

"You don't believe what you see with your own two eyes?" The prisoner stepped forward.

Ichigo stepped back. "That's got nothing to do with it! You can't be a part of me if you're a hollow! Hollows are cruel, heartless creatures! I'm not-"

"I'm not heartless!" The prisoner growled. Ichigo froze in fear at the tone and immediately the prisoner softened his glare. He took Ichigo's hand and placed it over his heart. "I'm not heartless," he repeated.

Ichigo moved his hand over the prisoner's skin. He could feel the heart beat beneath his fingers, and it beat at the very same second that his did. "B-But… how?"

"You and I were born human. That's why I'm a hollow, but living. And why you're a Shinigami that ages."

"But I can't be…"

"They've lied to you. All of them. Why do you think you've been kept on such a tight leash all these years?"

Ichigo was at a loss of words. He found himself drifting closer to this stranger. His hands curled over the muscles that adorned his wondrously pale skin.

"What are you doing?" The prisoner questioned, voice shaking a little.

"I don't know," Ichigo answered. He slid his arms around his pale reflection and pulled him close.

"It feels right, doesn't it?" The prisoner asked slowly.

Ichigo nodded. Zangetsu's words echoed in his mind and he looked over the prisoner's shoulder. "Why is my world sideways?"

"A number of things are going to change. You and I were originally one soul. I have no clue how we were separated, all I know is that the Soul Society didn't want me to return to you. I figure that because our strength nearly triples when we're together, the Soul Society saw us as a threat. And we're also an illegal Shinigami and Hollow hybrid."

Ichigo chuckled, and the prisoner relished in the feeling of Ichigo's body against his. "That didn't quite answer my question."

"Sorry… Your world has become our world. It's sideways because your sanity is being counter balanced by my insanity. You'll find that our soul will become stronger over the course of one month. Your aging will stop and I will need to feed…"

"What!?" Ichigo looked into the prisoner's eyes.

"Relax." He placed his forehead against Ichigo's and wrapped his arms around his Shinigami. "The out of place energy that makes you age will, in essence, keep me fed. The scattered puzzle pieces will rearrange themselves back in the correct order. And I am bound to your will, Ichigo. I cannot kill unless you want me to."

"Why?" Ichigo mumbled.

"_Why?_ Simple, really, because I made my decision long ago to let you rule our world."

Ichigo blinked slowly, and then yawned.

The prisoner chuckled. "My apologies King. I woke you in the middle of the night, didn't I?"

"Yeah. Kinda…"

"You may sleep. I promise from now until death I will always look after you."


	3. Chaos Controlled, or is it?

"Wake him!"

"We've tried, sir… but he remains trapped in his mind." Renji apologized.

Yamamoto's glaring stare then turned on to Mayuri. "I thought you said they'd be separated permanently. What happened!?"

Mayuri sighed, "It would seem I had underestimated their soul's ability to heal. And also greatly miscalculated their level of power…"

Ichigo twitched in his unconscious state, a thin layer sweat covering his body. Thin and frail arms lost their bony look, hair grew out to half the length of his body, and his Zanpakuto doubled – one in the opposite color.

"Lock him away in a tightly guarded prison. Do not let him escape until Captain Kurotsuchi finds a way to fix this mistake!" Yamamoto snapped.

There was a mixed shout of "Hai, sir!" before Rukia rushed into the room. "Sir, I beg of you, you can't!"

"Remove her at once!" Yamamoto ordered. As soon as Rukia was restrained, Kisuke Urahara walked into the room. Clad in his traditional wear, striped hat, white and green – the same shade as he robes; he limped across the room with his cane.

"She's right, you know. You **can't** restrain him."

"_**All of you, shut up."**_

All eyes turned to the boy. Orange hard flowing from the force of his Spiritual Pressure and eyes glowing gold even in the brightly lit room, Ichigo Kurosaki was anything but amused.

"_**Don't I get a say in all of this? I may have found out the truth… I may **__be __**a monster, but I'm still me. I won't hurt any of you…" **_He raised his hand, his Spiritual Pressure fading from threatening to his usual comforting vibe. "I am still Ichigo Kurosaki. Learning the truth about my past is my problem, none of you need to look at me any different."

Rukia smiled softly and Kisuke nodded, tilting his hat down as if saluting Ichigo's words.

Mayuri stepped up, speaking slightly quieter than he normally did, "It doesn't change the fact that you may become a threat. As it stands, your Spiritual Pressure has always been out of control. If you continue down the path you've chosen, you'll choke the ones around you with no means of stopping."

Ichigo's brown eyes turned on Mayuri, the chocolate brown swirling with both Ichigo's anger and the other's fear.

"Very well," Yamamoto spoke up again, his tone taking on that of a father's. "We first thought it proper to kill you, but when you were brought here as a baby, no one had the heart to kill you. You had the Spiritual Pressure of a lieutenant's even as a baby. We couldn't decide if we should raise you as a weapon… or kill you as a Hollow."

Ichigo gulped, this time it was his fear that blended with the Hollow's anger.

"Captain Kurotsuchi found a way to separate you from the Hollow. However, it turned out that we couldn't kill the creature without killing you."

"Call it Shiro," Kisuke said. When all eyes were on him, he shrugged and explained, "It's a white version of Kurosaki! May as well give it a name…"

"He's a he!" Ichigo growled, unintentionally loud.

Both Kisuke and Mayuri smirked, an underlining understanding shared between them as to why Ichigo was so defensive.

"To the point…" Yamamoto sighed to bring the attention back on him, "Ichigo will receive one year to demonstrate he can live peacefully. When you're through the rest of your training as a Shinigami, your time is up! If you haven't proven you have the heart, soul, and mind of a Soul Reaper to at least **eight** Captains, then we will be forced to execute you. Dismissed!"

o/o/o

Finally Ichigo was allowed to sleep. He curled up in his own bed, hugging the pillows close. He wrapped himself in a cocoon of blanket, the fuzzy white comforter bringing him warmth. Soon he noticed that the blanket was getting heavier and that's when he realized he wasn't alone in this bed.

"What are you doing here?" Ichigo murmured tiredly, knowing Shiro had arrived.

"I told you, I'm with you forever-"

"No," Ichigo quickly cut off. "I mean, what are you doing _out_ here?"

"Oh, well…"

"Won't they hurt you? Or try to take you away again?" Ichigo questioned, sitting up to look into the swirling, burning golden eyes.

"They wouldn't dare try anything while you're here." Shiro finally replied, hugging Ichigo close. Ichigo shut his eyes, resting his head on Shiro's firm yet comfortable chest. He smiled and held Shiro's hand, breathing softly until he fell asleep. "So tired and so tense for such a young boy… I wish they never split us apart. I can tell you've been through a lot; I promise I'll always be here for you in the future so you never have to carry such a heavy burden again, King."

He felt Ichigo tremble beneath his fingers. Shiro frowned as he brushed aside Ichigo's now much longer hair. He smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Try to get some sleep…" He heard a voice from the door.

Shiro turned and saw Kisuke. Immediately his eyes became threatening. "What do you want?"

"That's the same thing I came to ask you." Kisuke had his fan already put away, a serious look that was foreign to his eyes. Shiro immediately flashed back to the tests he'd been put through and his eyes grew even more hateful. He held Ichigo possessively, even growling softly at Kisuke.

"I'm not answering any of your questions for you!" Shiro shouted, loud enough to alert anyone nearby. "You think you can take anything you want from me!? You think that just because I'm out here, nothing's changed? You're sick! Demented! Twisted! Go away; I never want to see your face again!"

Kisuke hid his face in the shadows of his hat. He stepped back, "I… apologize…" He quickly left, just as a Captain arrived.

"What's with all the shouting?"

Ichigo groaned and sat up. "Shiro…"

"Sorry…" the Hollow said, bowing his head in apology. "I hate him, _both_ of them… Kisuke and Mayuri…"

Ichigo could feel him trembling and immediately moved to comfort him. His eyes widened when Shiro buried himself in his arms, even let tears fall onto Ichigo's shoulder.

"I'll ask permission to keep Kisuke out of the Soul Society for now… and also, I'll ask if Mayuri can be restrained to his own barracks. The second one is not likely; however, he often keeps to himself anyways."

Ichigo smiled and squeezed Shiro's terribly shaking hand. "Thank you, Aizen…"

The brunette smirked and poked Ichigo in the nose. "Ah, ah, ah~ That's **Captain** to you, Ichigo! Even in such a moment as this, you forget all about formalities…"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and muttered, "Even in serious moments like this you make fun of me…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Aizen chuckled and gave Ichigo a small wave. "Get some sleep, _both _of you!" He left through Ichigo's window. Ichigo sighed and turned his attention back to Shiro. He'd stopped shaking by now, and was resting comfortingly in Ichigo's arms.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked slowly.

Shiro nodded, not speaking, not crying or shaking. He sighed softly, his breath on Ichigo's neck making Ichigo shudder. Ichigo closed his eyes, suddenly feeling dizzy. He wobbled slightly and, after feeling Shiro's gentle hand on his cheek, he collapsed against the pillow, instantly asleep.

o/o/o

"I haven't seen you this happy since… Well, I haven't seen you this happy ever," Gin commented, his snake-like grin present. The pale moonlight shone white on his silvery hair, sparkling as his hair blew in the wind.

"You could say I've found something of interest…" Aizen replied, fingering a sliver of Ichigo's hair.

"Oh? And who is it this time? Certainly, they must be-"

"He's much different from all the others…" Aizen hummed, marching about the roof top with a sweet sadistic grin across his pale lips. "He's stronger, more durable to suffering and anger… He won't be torn apart so easily by a foreign reiatsu. And what's better, he has a **real** Hollow within him, and this Hollow can change any reiatsu to match his! If our work is truly correct… No, I _know_ it is! We will have the perfect creature to lead our armies into battle!"

Gin sat back and stared up at the moon. 'Aizen… to show off this much emotion, you really must be excited!'

o/o/o

**I'm asking for some SERIOUS feedback, please! I'd like to know where I can improve! Chapters will be fixed up according to what you, my lovely readers, see! This applies to all my fics! I'm in the 11th grade now and I really want to be an author, so if you guys don't mind pointing out any mistakes you see, I'd be really appreciative!**


	4. Crescent Moon and Black Veins

**Thanks for the feedback, guys~ I've been a little busy recently with all that's been going on in my personal life… so I'm sorry I haven't gotten this story updated in a while!**

**In fact, I've been working on some original stories (my work in progress right now is called Skykaila). If you get the chance, visit Inkitt, find Skykaila (or my username MidnightEdith) and vote for Skykaila to win a contest~ Or just give me some feedback?**

**I'm also going to do a small time skip here, just so we can get the plot moving along! No need to worry, there's still much to go through before we reach the point of no return.**

**Ah, I've said too much already. Thank you for reading~**

* * *

One Week Later

It had been a week since the incident. Ichigo was very quick to notice changes in his friends and closest allies. Rukia, if anything, was more protective of him now. She encouraged him to study rather than to fight, and she'd vouch for him if he were to get into any kind of trouble. Renji for the most part stayed the same. He was a little nervous around him, especially in those moments where they'd have a small fight. And then there was Kenpachi… who was even more eager to fight Ichigo now that the news of his increase in power had spread around. Shiro shared the same passion for fighting as Kenpachi, but Ichigo insisted they'd better not. Other Shinigami seemed the same, or slightly more distant than usual. This was something Ichigo was used to. He hadn't been popular with most Shinigami in the past, now he knew why.

Ichigo was sitting in his room. He browsed through the list of chores Rukia had given him and decided that, rather than staying up all night getting them done, he'd face her wrath tomorrow. He slipped into bed, without the slightest idea that someone was watching him.

"I don't think this is a good idea…" Gin murmured.

"Nonsense," Aizen insisted, "I must do this if he's going to be worth my time at all."

Gin fell silent and just observed as Aizen took out a small brown case. They entered Ichigo's room, Aizen setting the case down on Ichigo's desk. Aizen opened the case to reveal a needle and a vial with a dark purple substance. With a grin, Aizen emptied the contents of the vial into the needle and very carefully sunk the needle into Ichigo's forearm. As the dark liquid entered Ichigo's body, his veins matched its colour and an odd, powerful Spiritual Pressure entered the room.

"This shall do nicely." Aizen remarked to himself. He put the needle and vial away, then he slipped silently out of the room as Ichigo began to stir. Gin lingered for a few more seconds, watching Ichigo with a look of regret, but also an odd glimmer of hope. Gin quickly left when he noticed Ichigo's eyes beginning to open.

Ichigo shifted onto his side. Black veins spread through his eyes, seemingly snaking away into his irises before all the dark veins around his body disappeared. He groaned and fell back against his pillow, a fever breaking out across his skin.

* * *

Two Weeks Later

"Faster, Ichigo! You'll never beat me if you don't hurry up!"

Ichigo groaned in annoyance at Captain Soi Fon's demanding tone. Her voice was naturally rough and stern, but with the added bossy undertone it didn't help Ichigo to like her ordering him around anymore than usual.

Soi Fon moved out of the way of Ichigo's attack in the blink of an eye. Even though Ichigo knew it was coming, he wasn't able to turn around in time to block the foot aimed for his back. Ichigo hit the ground with a harsh thud, the air rushing out of his lungs.

Ichigo's fist collided with the grass and he cursed, "Damn it!"

"Mouth off all you like…" Soi Fon squat down low to the ground. Her feet were roughly a foot from Ichigo's head. "…nothing will make you move any faster unless you're focusing all your Spiritual Pressure into your muscles. You're strong, Ichigo, but you're clumsy."

Ichigo growled and swat at Soi Fon's legs. She _tsked _and leapt into the air as if her body were a spring, and successfully dodged Ichigo's rage. She solidified the air beneath her feet and stood in mid-air out of Ichigo's reach.

"You've got a horrible temper too. If you let your opponent get into your head then you can consider the battle already lost."

"Then shouldn't you be teaching me how to avoid letting that happen!?" Ichigo spat out. He grit his teeth in absolute annoyance at Soi Fon's response.

She replied with a smug grin, "That comes with experience, Ichigo, and if you'd stop skipping all our training sessions then maybe you'd have the training you need."

Ichigo's grip tightened on Zangetsu's blade.

"Don't you have a mission in two weeks? How are you ever going to get approved to go if you can't even do something as simple as convert that massive amount of Spiritual Pressure you've got?" Soi Fon could see the rage boiling in Ichigo's eyes. She knew she'd have him soon. "If you don't get approved for this mission, then how are you ever going to prove yourself to Yamamoto? I might as well just let a punk kid like you with no potential-"

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

The words came as a shock to both Soi Fon and Ichigo, though Ichigo's shock didn't register for a while until after the attack was released. Soi Fon threw herself out of the attack's way just in time. If she'd stood around any longer than the blue crescent might've cut her clean in half. She landed harshly against the ground, and looked up in time to see the attack slice cleanly through the tops of a few trees before vanishing into the sky. She snapped her head angrily in Ichigo's direction, "What was that!?"

Ichigo gulped, his hands trembling on his blade as he spoke, "I-I don't know… I've never been able to do that before."

Soi Fon flicked a loose strand of hair from her face. "Well, we've certainly got to figure out how to do it again. A Getsuga Tenshou, I believe you said? Superb control over your Spiritual Pressure. That kind of attack will release enough of your Spiritual Pressure as to ease the strain suppressing it causes. Very well done indeed, Ichigo."

Ichigo looked down at his blade, smiling as he gazed into his reflection. He didn't doubt that he'd need to speak with Shiro about this technique later, and he couldn't help but to silently wonder why Zangetsu himself had never taught him this technique.

* * *

"Because it doesn't belong to him, that's why," Shiro answered when Ichigo asked.

Ichigo's eyebrows knitted themselves together in confusion. "I don't understand. Zangetsu is my Zanpakuto, how could a Zanpakuto's technique not belong to him?"

Shiro grinned at Ichigo's obvious innocence. He approached the young Shinigami and took the blade from his hands. "What ya 'ave here is incomplete. Don't get me wrong, your Zanpakuto blade is perfectly whole, but you've been missing half of yer powers all this time, Ichigo. Getsuga Tenshou is my technique, because what it really is… is a Cero."

Shiro watched Ichigo's chocolate orbs widen in shock. He readied himself for the outburst, but to his surprise Ichigo kept quiet. Shiro knew this was his cue to continue his explanation.

"I'm going to assume you know what a Cero is." When Shiro received a nod, he continued without acknowledging it. "Some Ceros can become advanced Ceros. For example, a Shinigami's Zanpakuto is molded to fit the Shinigami's soul. A Cero can be influenced by a Hollows power, if strong enough, and grow into a unique form thus earning a special name. Ours is Getsuga Tenshou, which you can use through Zangetsu. You simply need to focus your reiatsu onto that blade, just like how a Hollow would focus their… well, like this."

Shiro turned so that his back faced Ichigo. Ichigo observed Shiro hold out his hand with his fingers extended to reveal his palm. A red ball of swirling and glowing reiatsu formed just an inch off of Shiro's palm. It suddenly burst forward to devour a whole skyscraper with its light. When the light faded the skyscraper was gone.

"Wow…" Ichigo murmured. He found a smile on his lips, "That was really impressive! Can you teach me… umm… how to do that with this… '_Getsuga Tenshou_'?"

Shiro nodded in acceptance of Ichigo's request and turned around to face him once again. "You realise, correct… that this is going to take a lot of training? You're going to be even more exhausted that you already are after the week is through, then you'll have to go through the whole thing all over again."

Ichigo nodded, and with that spark of determination in his eyes that Shiro was quickly growing to love, he stepped forward with the blade of his Zanpakuto posed to fight. "I'll do it, anything, just to prove that I'm not a burden."

Shiro sighed sadly. "That's not what you are, _King. _In two weeks you're going off on an important mission, and yer gonna be a very important part of the team. I'll do everything in my power to train you, but you should know that while my fighting instincts are more evolved than yours, I'm still learning as much as you are everyday about your abilities."

Ichigo straightened his back. "I had a hunch about that. It's fine. I trust you, Shiro, and I know that you're going to help me as much as I'm going to help you."

Then Ichigo's head cocked crookedly to the side, and a black vein crawled up the back of his neck where Shiro couldn't see.

"In fact, I'm willing to bet that all the other Shinigami will be jealous that I have you after they see how much of I've grown by the end of these next few months."


End file.
